The BBC reports that Dresden has long been known for its links to the far right.
In the early 1990s, neo-Nazi groups began staging rallies there to remember what they called "the bombing Holocaust", when the city was bombed by British and American forces in 1945.
A local politician has declared his city has 'a Nazi problem'. Photo / AP
These groups went on to become active in surrounding areas and in southern Saxony, which has been a stronghold of the far-right National Democratic Party of Germany (NPD) and later the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
In state elections in September, support for the AfD surged, up 17.8% from 2014 to finish on 27.5%.
Dresden is home to the anti-migrant group PEGIDA and the far-right Alternative for Germany party received more than 17 per cent of the vote in city council elections this year.
A series of far-right rallies took place in nearby Chemnitz after a German citizen was stabbed in a fight with two asylum-seekers. City politicians say refugees in Dresden often face abuse and attacks.
And last month a gunman launched an antisemitic rant before attacking a synagogue in the city of Halle, killing two people.
In passing the motion, the Dresden City Council said it needed more support from state and federal sources to combat far-right sentiment, although opponents said it was "purely symbolic."
The motions calls for a focus on "the causes and consequences of anti-Semitism, racism and position of extreme right to restore trust in democratic institutions and the appreciation of diversity and respectful solidarity".
It's claimed extremist and radical violence has increased in Drseden, with 60 far-right motivated attacks identified in 2018, up from 52 the previous year.
